Publish date24 Sep 2015 - 9:39
Story Code : 206235

Selling Spices for 15 Years, Kenyan Makes Hajj

Performing the life-time journey of hajj is a dream that came true for Abdi Mohammed, a Kenyan Muslim who has been selling spices for 15 years to make the spiritual pilgrimage to Makkah.
Selling Spices for 15 Years, Kenyan Makes Hajj
“I promised myself that I will not leave this world before making the trip to Makkah,” Abdi Mohammed, 62, told Anadolu Agency.

“I have been selling spices in Eastleigh, Nairobi, for over 15 years now. Business has not always been good. Sometimes I had to sleep hungry, but I always saved in a separate account for this trip.”
“Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam, and I am sure once I make the trip, Allah will shower me with blessings for He is Great,” he added.

Mohammed is performing hajj this year as a member of Kenya's record hajj mission, estimated at 4500 Muslims.

He has been living for this dream over the past 15 years when he was still young.
“I know of people who are above 70 [and] are still saving for Hajj,” Mohammed said.

“The government should be able to help us so that at least the elderly can be able to make the trip. They should talk to the Saudis to also increase the number of people traveling to Makkah.”
Muslims from around the world pour to Makkah every year to e perform hajj.

Hajj consists of several ceremonies, which are meant to symbolize the essential concepts of the Islamic faith, and to commemorate the trials of Prophet Abraham (AS) and his family.

Every able-bodied adult Muslim who can financially afford the trip must perform hajj at least once in a lifetime.

Record Hajj Mission
Getting 4,500 slots for hajj, Kenya Muslims urged Saudi officials to increase the quota of their country in pilgrimage.

“The immigration department at the Saudi Embassy has fully cooperated with us and many Kenyans are traveling to Nairobi to prepare for the trip,” Sharriff Hussein, vice chairman of the Kenya Hajj Mission, said.

Hussein said the Kenya Hajj Mission in Nairobi is pleading with the Saudi government to increase the quota for the number of pilgrims by 500.

“We received a message from the Saudi government telling us that the issue is under consideration, but as of now, the situation has not changed,” Hussein said.

“The number of Muslims in Kenya is growing very fast [and] that’s why we are asking for additional slots.”

Arriving in Makkah, Hassan Omar, a pilgrim from Nairobi, is looking forward to make the trip to fulfill his religious obligation.

“I have been saving for two years now and I am glad that I will be able to make the trip, but it saddens me that only 4,500 Kenyans are allowed to make the trip,” Omar said.
Source: OnIslam.net

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